I've been gluten-free for about 6 months and dairy-free for about 4, and I was wondering if anyone here has tried the selective carb diet. I just read Breaking the Vicious Cycle and the diet seems appealing and I think it would alleviate my remaining symptoms. My question though is since I've been completely dairy-free, because I wasn't sure if my prob was lactose or casein, do you think it would be okay to consume the dairy products in the book? Has anyone done this? I'd like to start within the next few weeks.

Hi,
I haven't heard of the selective carb diet until now, but I've been on The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet for at least 7 years, and maybe it's similar. 23 hours a day I can eat low carb/high protein foods, and one hour each day I can have any high carb food or drink of which I am not intolerant. This is based on the fact that we will not produce an overabundance of insulin if we eat high carbs within one 60 minute period each day (authors are Richard and Rachel Heller). Since my family has a history of Diabetes, I went on the diet immediately after reading the book, and have thrived on it ever since. The best part is, my weight stays around 105.
Welda

Yesterday I did a bit of research on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet on the internet and I, too, thought it might be a good way to alleviate or eliminate my current symptoms. It does, however, seem very restrictive--with no grains allowed at all, I think you're left with vegetables, fresh meats, and some fruit...anyway, to anyone interested in learning about this diet, but not wanting to buy the book , here are some links:

Oh, cynicaltomorrow, I never got around to your question ...I wouldn't know the answer (strack2004 seems to know a lot about the sc diet...you might try asking her). My advice would be to remain dairy-free in the beginning. If the diet works for you, slowly add dairy back. Do not add a lot of dairy at once. If you do, your body might react since it's not used to it. But if you have a little dairy one day and then slowly work it into your diet, you'll see if it's all right. I'd advise you to wait until you see effects from the diet, though, so that if dairy is your problem, you can see results in the sc diet first.

Hi, Cynical Tomorrow!, I am Strack2004. Have been on the Scdiet 5 months today. In general I note that I am sleeping ever so much better than before I went on this diet. Also, generally I have more get-up-and-go. Also my sharp pain under my right center ribcage comes less frequently. There is still some discomfort there from time to time. Today I am more than a little uncomfortable, but yesterday I yielded to temptation and ate a little sample of buttered bread at Cashwise. Within half an hour I had a burning in my upper ab. This afternoon, 24 hrs. later, my ab is generally uncomfortable. This could also be because I have been experimenting with using store-bought kefir, a cultured milk product. I have taken 3 swallows of it with 3 lactase tabs several times a day. Am starting to learn how to make water-based kefir at home. The first batch didn't work because I used too much water for the amount of kefir grains. My principle digestive problem is constipation rather than the diarrhea most celiacs seem to have. That is still unresolved.
I agree with celiac3270 about being careful with milk products. I am lactose intolerant. Have not been diagnosed with celiac, but felt this diet is a good basis for sorting out what foods and medications may be giving me trouble. celiac3270 is right, the diet is very limiting. I have learned to enjoy the flavors of the foods I do eat in different combinations. I don't get along with the tomato, potato family so that lets out tomatoes. Am not sure if it's the tomatoes themselves (acid) or the seeds that give me trouble. Eventually I will try juice, but need to get this kefir thing going right now. I can post some urls for kefir if you are interested.
One more benefit from the diet is that I have lost quite a little weight. Have leveled off now at about 125 lbs. Last winter I weighed in at around 160. I lost some of that before the actual diet, though. I use the lists that celiac3270 suggested.
Cheers,. Ruth S.

I've been on the SC Diet for 10 months and have seen much improvement. This diet is more restrictive than gluten-free. The reason it's more restrictive is because wheat gluten may not be the sole root cause of celiac disease. The sinister thing about celiac disease is that the foods which are the underlying culprits may not generate any symptoms for a long time. ie., you can be symptom-free for a long while, but your diet is creating inbalances of bacteria, toxins, etc. that lead to allergic reactions with other foods. For instance, I ate lots of wheat bread for years and had no problems with it. But all the while, I was becoming progressively more allergic to more and more kinds of other foods. When I went on the SCD, many of these allergies disappeared. For instance, after several weeks, I was able to eat lean, high quality steak. Before going on the SCD, one bite and I'd be agonizing in the bathroom within minutes. Amazing! And by the way, everybody's allergies are different. The question is, what foods are causing the allergies? Again, you can be tolerant of something that makes you allergic to something else. That's what's so sinister about celiac disease.

The specific carbohydrate diet is well-balanced and healthy. So why not do it instead of just gluten-free? It seems to me that you're more likely to improve with the SCD, although it's harder to follow. For more information, read "Breaking the Vicious Cyle: Intestinal Health Through Diet" by Elaine Gottschall. In it, she has a section called "The Celiac Story" where she chronicals the gluten-free diet. Essentially, she argues that the gluten-free diet is the typical doctor's hammer, for which everything looks like a nail. Relapses are "all-too-common," she says.

I'd love to more foods. But because they're not allowed in the SCD, I believe, in the long run, they would push me further down instead of building me up. The reason they're not allowed is very logical. Not enough space to explain here. Read the book.

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John

Gluten free since Feb 2003
Plus Specific Carb Diet since Feb 2003, although I may have gotten into trouble with too much lactaid milk (basically guzzled it for last six months).